Julie's Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Tofu, Summer Squash, & Egg

A few weeks ago Julie challenged me to create something edible from a small list of ingredients. She proposed tofu, squash, and something from the Easter basket. By now, all that's left in the dredges of the Easter basket is the Easter basket grass and a few fruity flavored tootsie rolls. Not much to work with there, so I went back to Easter morning and thought about what was in that basket that would work well in a dish. The dyed eggs of coarse!! I immediately labeled myself as the most brilliant person ever, and went to work throwing together ingredients until I came up with something edible.

Quinoa seems to be the popular grain right now. It's high in protein, fiber, and all things good so I've been working with it more and more. It is very versatile and has a nice nutty flavor. You could substitute brown rice or any grain that you've been harboring in your cupboard. It's all tossed together with an avocado dressing. I tried to incorporate spring flavors here, so use the most seasonal veggies you can find to keep it fresh and delicious!

Julie's Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Tofu, Summer Squash, & Easter Eggs

for the dressing:
1 large avocado, ripe
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbls fresh chives, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
1/2 cup water
sea salt and chili flakes to taste

Prepare the dressing by blending the avocado, lemon juice, chives, garlic, yogurt, water, salt, and chili flakes in a blender or food processor. Set aside.
For the other salad components:

3 large eggs
12 oz tofu, drained and diced
1 large zucchini or yellow squash, sliced
1/4 cup E.V.O.O.
sea salt

2 cups quinos, cooked and cooled to room temp
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
chopped chives for garnish
 

Hard boil the three eggs. Place eggs in a pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover, and let set for about 5-8 minutes. Cool them in an ice bath or under cold running water. Set aside.

While the eggs are cooling start prepping the zucchini and tofu by tossing it  with olive oil and salt in a medium bowl. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place the tofu and zucchini on a large roasting pan or a couple of cookie sheets, drizzle with a touch more olive oil and roast in the oven until evenly browned, flipping and stirring half way through cooking time- about 15 minutes.

Crack and peel the cooled eggs, and cut each egg into quarters lengthwise.

Assemble the salad by tossing the quinoa with about 2/3 cup of the avocado dressing. Top with the roasted tofu and zucchini, pine nuts, eggs, goat cheese, and a bit of chopped chives for garnish. Serve this family style on a big platter with the left over dressing on the side. Belly up!!